Biodegradation of poly(lactic acid), poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate), poly(butylene succinate) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) under anaerobic and oxygen limited thermophilic conditions

摘要

In order to study the biodegradation behavior of biodegradable plastics in landfill conditions, four types of biodegradable plastics including poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) were tested by burying in sludge mixed soil medium under anaerobic and oxygen limited conditions. The experiments were operated at 52 ± 2oC in dark conditions according to ISO15985. The degree of biodegradation after 75 days was investigated by weight loss determination, visual examination, and surface appearance by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Under both anaerobic and oxygen limited conditions, the complete degradation (100% weight loss) was found only in PHBV after 75 days. The plastic degradations were ranked in the order of PHBV> PLA> PBS> PBAT. The percentage of weight losses were significantly different at p ≤ 0.05. However, for all studied plastics, the degradation under anaerobic and oxygen limited conditions did not significantly different at 95% confidence.